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This information is taken from the additional COVID-19 operational guidance for SEND and specialist settings dated February 2022.
Italics are direct quotes from these documents.
Where other documents are quoted, the links are shown.
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Attendance
School attendance is mandatory for all pupils of compulsory school age, and it is a priority to ensure that as many children as possible regularly attend school.
You should continue to clearly and consistently communicate the expectations around school attendance to families and any other professionals who work with the family. Any discussions should have a collaborative approach, focusing on the welfare of the child or young person and responding to the concerns of the parent, carer or young person. This conversation is particularly important for children with a social worker.
Please see document for all specialist setting requirements.
Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans
Where a pupil or student has an EHC plan the local authority and (if there is health provision) health commissioning body must secure or arrange the provision specified in the plan.
At times it may be necessary to conduct some aspects of EHC needs assessments and reviews in different ways, for example because children or young people are isolating. It is important that the assessments and reviews continue to ensure that the child or young person, and their parent and carer, is at the centre of the process and can engage with the process in a meaningful way.
As well as the duty to secure or arrange provision in an EHC plan, you must meet all the statutory duties relating to EHC needs assessments and annual reviews. It is important that settings co-operate in supporting requests about potential placements, providing families with advice and information where requested.
It is important to note that schools MUST meet any provision specified in Section F of an EHCP. There are no reasonable endeavours. This section is legally bound, and if schools cannot meet a child’s need as quantified in Section F, they must notify their Local Authority. It is not acceptable to not provide the provision.
Visiting specialists, support staff and wider provision
Specialists, therapists and other health professionals who support children and young people with SEND (for example speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, educational psychologists and specialist teachers), should provide interventions as usual.
Where children and young people with an EHC plan are in receipt of health provision, recognising that the duties to deliver provision set out in an EHC plan are fully in force, you should work collaboratively with their local authority, Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and health providers to agree appropriate support in view of the latest and current local public health guidance.
Where children and young people with EHC plans are not attending their education setting because they are following public health advice, multi-agency professionals should collaborate to agree how to meet their duties to deliver the provision set out in the EHC plan. This may include face-to-face visits to the home, or virtual support by means of video or telephone calls, or via email.
It is important to note that schools MUST meet any provision specified in Section F of an EHCP. There are no reasonable endeavours. This section is legally bound, and if schools cannot meet a child’s need as quantified in Section F, they must notify their Local Authority. It is not acceptable to not provide the provision.
Respite care
Social care services for disabled children which provide respite care should continue to operate. This includes residential and non-residential respite services and both formal and informal care in the family home.
Not providing respite care due to Covid reasons is not acceptable.
Remote education
Teachers are best placed to know how to most effectively meet pupils and students needs to ensure they continue to make progress if they are not in face-to-face education because they are following public health advice.
We recognise that some pupils and students with SEND may not be able to access remote education without adult support and so expect schools and colleges to work collaboratively with families and put in place reasonable adjustments so that pupils with SEND can successfully access remote education appropriate for their level of need.
More information on requirements for remote education can be found here https://get-help-with-remote-education.education.gov.uk/send.html
Home to school transport
Staff and pupils should follow wider advice on face coverings outside of school, including on transport to and from school or college.
Home to school transport must be provided for children and young people with special educational needs in the same context as before COVID-19.
Mixing and ‘bubbles’
We do not recommend that it is necessary to keep children and young people in consistent groups (‘bubbles’). This means that bubbles are not needed.
Tracing close contacts and isolation
Public health advice for People with COVID-19 and their contacts changed from 24 February. Contacts are no longer required to self-isolate or advised to take daily tests, and contact tracing has ended.
Face coverings
Face coverings are no longer advised for pupils, students, staff and visitors in classrooms or communal areas.
Staff and pupils should follow wider advice on face coverings outside of school, including on transport to and from school or college.
Education settings, as employers, have a duty to comply with the Equality Act 2010 which includes making reasonable adjustments for disabled staff. They also have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils and students, to support them to access education successfully.
No pupil or student should be denied education on the grounds that they are, or are not, wearing a face covering.
Hand hygiene
Frequent and thorough hand cleaning should now be regular practice. You should continue to ensure that pupils and students clean their hands regularly. This can be done with soap and water or hand sanitiser.
You should also continue to consider:
- how often pupils, students and staff will need to wash their hands
- whether staff working with pupils and students who spit uncontrollably want more opportunities to wash their hands than other staff
- whether pupils and students who use saliva as a sensory stimulant or who struggle with ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ need more opportunities to wash their hands
- how to help pupils and students with complex needs to clean their hands properly.
Respiratory hygiene
The ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach continues to be very important. As with hand cleaning, you should ensure that younger pupils and those with complex needs are helped to get this right.
Some pupils and students with complex needs will struggle to maintain as good respiratory hygiene as their peers, for example, those who spit uncontrollably or use saliva as a sensory stimulant. This should be considered as part of your risk assessment in order to support these pupils and students and the staff working with them and is not a reason to deny these children and young people face-to-face education.
Keep occupied spaces well ventilated
You should balance the need for increased ventilation while maintaining a comfortable temperature.
When your setting is in operation, it is important to ensure it is well ventilated and a comfortable teaching environment is maintained.
You should identify any poorly ventilated spaces as part of your risk assessment and take steps to improve fresh air flow in these areas.
Asymptomatic testing in specialist settings
Staff and pupils in specialist SEND settings, AP and SEND units in mainstream schools or equivalent in FE colleges, (for example those completing courses which are specifically for students with disabilities and/or learning disabilities such as Supported Learning courses and Foundation/SEND courses), are currently advised to continue regular twice weekly testing.
It is important to note that testing is voluntary, and education cannot be withheld if a pupil is unable to test.
Other considerations
Some pupils and students with SEND (whether with EHC plans or on SEN support) will need specific help and preparation for the changes to routine that these measures will involve. Staff should plan to meet these needs, for example using social stories.
To make sure pupils and students with medical conditions are fully supported, work with:
- local authorities
- health professionals
- regional schools’ commissioners
- other services
Use individual healthcare plans to help pupils and students receive an education in line with their peers. In some cases, the pupil’s and student’s medical needs will mean this is not possible, and educational support will require flexibility.
Welcoming children and young people back to your setting
In most cases, parents and carers will agree that a pupil or student with the key symptoms or COVID-19 should not attend given the potential risk to others.
If a parent or carer insists on their child attending your setting where they have a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, you can take the decision to refuse them if, in your reasonable judgement, it is necessary to protect others from possible infection with COVID-19.
It is important to note that specialist settings can refuse entry to a child or young person even if they are displaying mild COVID symptoms.
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